What I do at HyperVerge – Michael Subhan

This is the first post in a series titled ‘What I do at HyperVerge’. Written by various members of the HyperVerge team, we will talk about what we do here and what the HyperVerge experience is like.

Mr. Michael Subhan joined the HyperVerge team in June 2015 to help out with PR and User Acqusition. Michael is from New York and comes with the amazing experience of leading marketing for companies such as Thirstie and SnapOne. He is coming into the team at the right time, as Silver (our smart photo organization app) is set for a Beta launch in September. We got in touch with Michael through our investor Mr. Dayakar Puskoor of Naya Ventures. Michael has previously worked with a few other companies from the Naya portfolio (Keeptrax, AppUnify, Global Outlook) and has achieved great results with each of them.

Profile and previous experience

Michael Subhan is Vice President of Marketing at Thirstie. In this role, Mr. Subhan has responsibility for all aspects of the company’s global marketing efforts, including defining and executing marketing strategies, acquisition, brand management, demand generation, communications and worldwide marketing operations for the company’s mobile application and content platform. Mr. Subhan has broad experience with building user growth via both online and mobile advertising within the United States and internationally. For over 15 years, Michael has applied his leading edge understanding of strategic digital interactive marketing, branding, market research and media buying to a wide range of industries. His career history includes high-level new media marketing positions with start-ups, the restaurant industry, the recording industry, the homebuilding industry and even the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Michael is a member of the American Marketing Association (AMA) and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA).

A particular highlight in Michael’s achievements is his role at SnapOne. Michael started with SnapOne as a Senior Director of Acquistion Marketing in early 2010. At the time SnapOne was acquiring around 15,000 paying subscribers a month to their mobile application Pictavision. Michael quickly scaled Pictavison to over 60,000 subscribers a month within the year and was promoted to Vice President Marketing. In 2011 Michael was awarded the AT&T Deliver Award for Marketing. By 2012 Michael had scaled SnapOne to acquiring 80,000 users a month (Snap Secure). Revenue went from $7.5M in 2010 to over $28M by the end of 2012. In his new role as VP of Marketing, Michael built out the SnapOne Marketing team to include Acquisition teams, Communication teams and Design teams. He also defined the overal brand positioning and voice of the company. During his tenure at SnapOne, the company garnered various awards inclding NJTC Growth Company of the Year Award, Smart CEO Award, and a variety of product awards.

Michael at HyperVerge

We spoke with Michael and asked him a few questions about working at HyperVerge.

How did you get to know of HyperVerge?Over the past 5 ½ years I have been working with Dayakar Puskoor from Naya Ventures. Dayakar told me about a hot new startup that his firm invested in, and asked if I would be interested in helping them with their marketing and acquisition strategies.

What was your first impression after talking to the team?I only work with startups where the founders have a passion for what they do. My first impression of the team at HyperVerge was that they all have a strong passion for the technology they have developed, and drive to see the company grow and succeed. While young, they are willing to learn the business side of startups and take guidance from their advisors and investors.

Why did you decide to work with HyperVerge?I am very selective with the startups I work with. Mainly because I want to devote as much time and energy in helping them grow. HyperVerge is on the cutting edge of deep-learning technology and Ai. The team is smart and focused, and willing to learn from their advisors to help them scale. I decided to work with HyperVerge because I felt I could help them with their vision and grow their company internationally.

How has the experience of working with the team been so far?When first working with new startups there are pains on both sides. They need to know how I operate, and I need to know how they operate as well. Creating the marketing foundation takes time. Unfortunately, in a technology startup time is a valuable commodity. We are starting to learn that we need to keep on top of deliverables in order to move forward at a rapid pace. This is accomplished by constant communication between the HyperVerge team and myself.

If you had to pick three things about the team that you like and stand out for you, what would they be?Passion, Focus, and Knowledge

How do you see the team evolving in the future?The team is young, but focused. They will learn to develop not only as business leaders, but as mentors and advisors to the employees they hire. I see a bright future for HyperVerge, and am excited to be an extension of their team and help them develop their vision.